1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of printing, and in particular to systems and methods for previewing documents utilizing tint-block based copy protection features.
2. Description of Related Art
Document printing systems, which are ubiquitous in most modern organizations, permit the quick printing and/or duplicating of documents. Designers of modern printing and copying systems have focused relentlessly on improving printer speed, throughput, features, efficiency, and cost resulting in the virtual universal adoption of printers. Because of the ease with which physical documents on a print medium can be replicated, printed originals often contain copy protection features that inhibit copying and/or permit the visual identification of duplicated documents.
Specifically, two schemes for copy protection are popular. In watermarking, a recognizable image or pattern in paper is applied to paper that appears lighter or darker than the background depending on how the document is viewed. Watermarks are used primarily to serve as indicators of origin, and are not usually used to inhibit copying, or to distinguish copies from originals.
In the second scheme, termed tint-block copy protection, an image that appears to be a simple pattern or background color in an original when visualized in an original document, appears as a different image or a set of characters when the original is duplicated. Tint-block schemes involve the use of background patterns that are not visible on the original document but appear prominently on copies when the original is duplicated. For example, the word “COPY” may appear in large font across the document when the document is duplicated but may be difficult to see in an original printed document.
Many other distinctive patterns or words may also be used to identify duplicates. Other schemes involve the use of patterns such as the “EURion Constellation”, which can be used to trigger software in compliant copiers to prevent duplication altogether. The “EURion Constellation” pattern, which consists of five rings, is typically placed on currency notes and can be detected by copiers to prevent counterfeiting of currency notes.
The present disclosure is concerned primarily with copy protection schemes that use tint-blocks. In some instances, copy-protect patterns in a tint-block scheme can be generated and sent to a printer along with the document to be printed. A printer may overlay the pattern over the document image prior to printing. When printed the document will contain copy protection and/or detection features. However, because the process of generating the copy-protect overlay pattern may be separate from the document printing scheme, a user may be unable to preview the final printed document with the copy-protect overlay pattern prior to sending it to the printer.
The inability to preview copy-protect patterns may cause problems when the original document is printed because the overlay pattern may be unsightly, or may be visible to a greater extent than desired on portions of the document, or may be disliked by the user for various other reasons. Moreover, the user may also wish to preview the document as it appears after duplication to ensure that the copy protection scheme is adequately visible, or otherwise suitable, when the original document is duplicated. With current schemes, the inability to preview a document with the copy-protect overlay pattern prior to printing leads to inefficiencies, and a waste of paper, toner, and other resources. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to preview documents with a copy-protect overlay pattern prior to printing.